Transposing device for player-pianos.



BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB s. APPLIOATIOK FILED MA R 3 1 9 l 1.

2 5 EEEEEEEEEEEE I enonen L. THOM, or WASHINGTON; DISTRICT or COLUMBIA,

'rnalvsrosme DEVICE FOR PLAYER-metrics, I

Application-filed March 3, 1911'. SerialNo. 612,141.

To all whom it may concern-:-

Be it known that I, Gnonon L. Tnont, a citizen or the Umted States, residing at Wl'ashington, in the District of Columbia,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements m 'lransposing Devices for Player-Pianos,o'lT which. the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in transposing devices for player-pianos and has for its object to provide a device capable of serving its function and at the same time avoiding any movement of the tracker-board or the terminal of the tubes leading from the pneumatics.

Another object, is to provide a device to transpose a piece of music and not necessitate the sliding of the tracker-board and thereby cause any improper alinemcnt oi the sheet of music.

Other objects will be apparent from the following specification, appended claims and,the drawings thereof, in which,

l igure 1. is an elevation of a tracker well with the device applied thereto. Fig. 2. is a sectional View as on the line '2 of Fig. 1. Fig. is a perspective view of the actuating means for the middle member. Fig. 1. is a plan view of the middle member, and Fig. 5.

1 IS a bottom view of the middle member. Referring more specifically to the drawings, there is shown a tracker well of the usual constrimtion in which is a trackerhoard having the horizontal passages 11 and the vertical passages 12 and secured to said tracker-board is a film of leather, liber, or rubber 13 against which is intended to bear a sliding block or board Ll, which is grooved on its upp r and lower faces as at 15 and '16, said grooves being closed at their ends by the strips of batten The grooves 15 are cut transversely across the upper face of the block 11 while the grooves 16 are cut.

diagonally across the under fac'e couununication is had from one set of grooves to the other by the passages 18. .llcaring against the under side of the block 14 is another block or board It), provided with a lilm of material 20 similar to that of ,13, the purposes oft-hose two lihns of material being to create an air light connection permit a sliding movement of the member H. The block 19 is provided with a set olf vertical passages 21 which are in aline Specification of Letters Patent.

thereof and Patented Dec. 5, 1911.

passages 22, which communicate with the tubes leading from the pneumatics, not shown. Secured to the ends of the block 11 are the racks 24 working in guides 25 and connected to the block as by a yielding connection, to permit any give incident to variations of the several pa; ts, and said racks are controlled by pinions mounted upon the ment with the passages 12, and horizontal shaft 27 which is mounted in hearings in the ends of the well. Adjacent to one of the pinions is a knurled thumb wheel 28 by which the shaft and pinious are rotated.

The operation of the device is as follows; the perforated sheet of music is placed upon the spools and passed over the tracker board as usual but the passage of air from the atmosphere to the pneumatics is as follows, through the perforation in the sheet,

through the tracker-board passages 11- and 12, in the grooves 15 through the passage 18, into the grooves 16, through the communicating-passages'fdl and 2:2, thence to the PllOllllltlllCS. By the manipulation of the thumb wheel, shaft and pinions, the block 14- may be either advanced or ret acted which in turn will cause one or auotherof the diagonal grooves 16 to register with one'or another of the passages 21 in the lowest block 19.

Iclaim,

1. A transposing device for pneumatically operated instruments comprising a bar having a-plurality of ducts thercthrough, a second bar in bearing relation therewith and having communlcatim ducts with those in the first bar, and a pdurality of imlividual diagonal grooves in one face of one of the abutting bars, and means for moving one of said bars laterally with respect to its lougitudinal dimension to vary the relation of the individual grooves and ducts of the abutting members.

transposing device for player-pianos comprising a tracker-board, ablock spaced therefrom, passages through said tracker boa rd and spaced block, a second block interposed bclnveen said tracker-board and spaced block and individual grooves spaced to cor-' respond to the openings in the tracker board and spaced bar, in the opposite faces the grooves in one face being non-parallel to those in the opposite face of said interposed block and having comunuiication with one another by air passages, said grooves being adapted to communicate with the passages in the tracker-board and spaced block.

3. A transposing device for player-pianos comprising a tracker-board, a block spaced therefrom, passages through said trackerboard and spaced block, a block interposed between the tracker-board and spaced board, grooves on the opposite faces of the interposed block, said individual grooves in one face being non-para1lel to those in the oppo-' site face and ducts connecting the grooves in said interposed block.

4. A transposing device for player-pianos comprising a board interposed into the passage for the tracker-board to the pneumaties of an instrument, grooves in said interposed board on Ce opposite i'aces thereof, said individual grooves on one face being non-parallel to those on the opposite face, ducts connecting said grooves and means .to vary the position of said interposed board.

5. A transposing device for player-pianos comprising an interposed board within the passage for the tracker-board to the pneuinatics of an instrument, grooves in the opposite faces of said board, the'individuai grooves on one face being non-parallel to those on the other, racks secured to said board, pinions meshing with said racks and means to rotate said pinions to any the relation of the interposed board and passages with respect to said tracker-board.

GEORGE L. THOM.

Witnesses:

- Ana R. FoWLER,

A. C. BLAKENEY. 

